CONNECT

Often a church's formal theological beliefs can be at odds with its actual atmosphere, ethos, and feel as a church. Our prayer and desire it to be a church with a gospel-shaped culture, where believers experience meaningful care, encouragement, and accountability. Ray Ortlund in his book The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, has a nice description of the kind of culture where people can really grow and see the power of Christ at work in their lives. He sums it up as three things:

"Gospel + safety + time. It's what everyone needs. A lot of gospel + a lot of safety + a lot of time.

"Gospel: good news for bad people through the finished work of Christ on the cross and the endless power of the Holy Spirit. Multiple exposures. Constant immersion. Wave upon wave of grace and truth, according to the Bible.

"Safety: a non-accusing environment. No finger-pointing. No embarrassing anyone. No manipulation. No oppression. No condescension. But respect and sympathy and understanding, where sinners can confess and unburden their souls.

"Time: no pressure. No deadlines on growth. Urgency, but not hurry, because no one changes quickly. A lot of space for complicated people to rethink their lives at a deep level. God is patient."

At RPC we desire to be a place where people can belong, grow, and find this "gospel plus safety plus time." One of the main ways we can offer avenues for building relationships that are centered on the gospel is through our Community Groups. Another way that some of the men in the church connect is through the Saturday morning men's reading group. Read more about that here. The women in the church sometimes connect through fellowship events during the year. You can contact Sonja Hayter at 253-640-2574 to learn more about those events.